The DOOH targeting playbook: How to plan smarter campaigns with data

A well-placed billboard has always been a hallmark of effective out-of-home (OOH), but thanks to new innovations, the playbook has expanded. With the rise of data, brands can now plan smarter, more strategic digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaigns using a variety of targeting tools that blend precision and scale. 

In this guide, we’ll walk through the core types of targeting available in DOOH today, what they’re best suited for and how to use them to get the most out of your campaign.

Point-of-interest (POI) targeting: Reach people near places that matter

POI targeting lets you deliver ads based on proximity to real-world locations—like stores, gyms, airports or entertainment venues. 

Use POI targeting when: 

• Your product or service is tied to a specific location
• You want to build awareness close to the point of action (e.g., drive foot traffic)
• You’re opening a new store, launching locally or running a regional offer 

Real world value: 

With POI targeting, you can maximize reach while strategically focusing on likely conversion zones.

Audience targeting: Reach the right people, wherever they go

Audience targeting uses anonymized third-party data to identify people based on behaviors, affinities, intent and visitation patterns— not just demographics. It can also include your own first-party data, giving you the flexibility to retarget known customers or reach lookalike audiences across the physical world.

Use audience targeting when: 

• Your message speaks to a type of person rather than a place
• You want to follow behavioral patterns across a city or region
• You’re launching a lifestyle product, a niche service, or a segmented offer

Real world value: 

This type of targeting is dynamic, not static. Understanding how your audience moves through the day and serving ads to them accordingly means you can reach the right people without wasting impressions.

Weather triggers: Deliver the right message in the right conditions

Weather-triggered targeting allows you to activate media based on real-time weather conditions in specific locations.

Use weather triggers when:

• Your product is weather-sensitive (like beverages, apparel, travel or health)
• You want to align your message with your audience’s current mood 
• You want to capture attention with tailored creative or drive urgency to act   

Real world value

Weather triggers give your DOOH campaign built-in responsiveness and help your message land when it’s most timely and relevant.

Combining targeting types for smarter campaigns

The best DOOH campaigns don’t rely on a single data point. Instead, they leverage a combination of targeting tactics to deliver more contextually relevant, personalized messaging at scale.

Try combining: 

• Audience and POI targeting to reach niche groups in relevant locations 
• POI targeting and weather triggers to promote in-the-moment action near stores
• Audience targeting and weather triggers to align behavior with emotional context

See how Hawaiian Airlines used weather triggers and dynamic creative to drive bookings:  Read the case study

How to choose the right targeting strategy for your campaign

There’s no single formula for effective targeting. Your targeting strategy depends on your message, your audience and your goals. Ask yourself:

• Is this tied to a place, person or a moment?
• Do I want to influence behavior, build awareness or drive foot traffic?
• Are there environmental triggers (weather, time, seasonality) that affect when my message should appear?

A thoughtful targeting strategy can turn awareness into action. When you’re planning a DOOH campaign explore your options for mixing data layers to help your campaign reach people when and where it matters most. 

Bonus: Enhance your targeting with dynamic creative

Targeting gets your ad in front of the right audience. But what happens once they see it? 

That’s where dynamic creative comes in. It leverages real-time data to automatically adjust specific creative elements like product offers, location details, countdowns or weather conditions to ensure every message feels timely, personal and relevant.

Use dynamic creative when you want to:

• Direct people to your nearest store location
• Create urgency and spark interest for your events with real-time countdowns
• Display live updates like sports scores or matchups
• Tailor messaging based on time, weather or location

Combine with targeting for extra impact:

• POI targeting and  dynamic creative: Show nearest store directions
• Audience and  dynamic creative: Tailor visuals to lifestyle segments
• Weather and dynamic creative: Automatically adjust messaging and visuals to current weather conditions.

Dynamic creative makes it easy to deliver the right message at the right moment, without extra lift.

Smarter targeting leads to stronger results

Smarter targeting doesn’t mean narrower reach— it means smarter spend, better timing and higher intent. 

When you pair real-world movement with the right data signals, OOH becomes a strategic channel for driving results. Want help choosing the right targeting strategy? Let’s connect!